Chocolate Moscow ID

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Chocolate – Cheaper AND more Antioxidants than other Super Foods?

Chocolate – Cheaper AND more Antioxidants than other Super Foods?

Jo Wehage : Head Operations Ego

According to the USDA’s ORAC scale (system of measuring antioxidant levels in food) raw chocolate powder scores higher than virtually all foods tested. Raw chocolate is exceptionally high in flavonoids, a precious antioxidant that helps to gobble up cell damaging, wrinkle-causing, tissue-destructive free radicals. Even better for those feeling the squeeze of the current economy – it’s cheaper to come by than many super foods.

This comes as a shock to most devotees of the nutrient-rich super berries promoted so heavily in the marketplace.

Tipping the ORAC ScalesAccording to results listed by the USDA and others from Brunswick Laboratories, blueberries score in the neighborhood of 2,400 ORAC units per 100g, while acai berries score 18,500, the popular goji berry came in at 25,300, while raw cacao powder scores a whopping 95,500. In comparison, the typical “dark chocolate” options come in around 13,200. This means that gram for gram; raw cacao powder has about 723% more antioxidants than typical dark chocolate.

When chocolate as an antioxidant source began to hit the airwaves it was dark chocolate that got all the fanfare. And while true, dark chocolate scores higher than milk chocolate (where antioxidants have to share more and more space with the added sugar and milk), you can see it gets its little dark chocolate butt kicked when compared to raw unsweetened cacao. To understand the chocolaty mystery, it helps to understand from where the delectable goodness comes.

Where the Bean Meets the Bar Quality chocolate sources begin with the Theobroma Cacao bean which hails largely from Central America and Southern Mexico. The beans are then roasted, and cracked to remove the skins which give us cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are then ground. The heat of the grinding liquefies the cacao into chocolate liquor. Once cooled, this liquor is pressed separating the cacao oil (also known as cocoa butter). The remaining solids are pressed into cakes that become cacao powder. The separation of the oil makes the cacao powder more concentrated, yielding a higher ORAC scale (95,500) than the nibs (still an impressive 62,100). In this pure state raw cacao is a surprising source of protein and fiber. (Although the tasty nibs have more fat due to their oil content.)

To maintain peak nutrition levels raw cacao is slowly processed below 118 degrees Fahrenheit. More common manufacturing processes can use temperatures up to 266 degrees (130 degrees Celsius). Be sure the cacao powder you choose is an organic variety to avoid pesticides and fertilizers that are common practice with cacao bean production.

Seventy percent of manufactured chocolate is sourced from a lower quality hybrid strain of the cacao bean grown in Africa. This bean requires higher fermentation levels which destroy many antioxidants. Sugar and milk are then added,...